This invention relates to an apparatus for testing water samples, and more particularly to portable incubators for testing water samples outside the laboratory setting.
Water quality is an issue that has become of increasing concern to people in North America and around the world. Bottled water sales and water purification system sales have increased greatly in the past twenty years as consumers place less trust in the water obtained from their taps and wells. Generally, people are concerned about pollutants and harmful microbes in their tap water. Many homes in rural areas around the world obtain their water from wells located on the homeowner""s property. The quality of water from these wells can be compromised due to runoff from farm properties and natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods etc.
Some jurisdictions require that the water be tested on construction of a well. Other jurisdictions provide water testing for private well water on a regular basis either free of charge or for a fee to homeowners.
At present the microbial testing of water samples from wells is done in a large incubator in a laboratory. Homeowners obtain a small sterile bottle from a laboratory and fill it with water obtained from their well or tap and take the water sample in to a centralized testing laboratory. The laboratory prepares the sample with a reagent and places it with other water samples in a large sealed incubator. A heating element is activated to a desired temperature and the air within the incubator is heated over a period of many hours to encourage the growth of any microbes in the water. If there are microbes in a given water sample, the reagent will change the color of the water sample to indicate their presence. The laboratory will then inform the homeowner of the results of the test generally within a week to ten days.
There are a number of disadvantages to this method of water testing. The process is very time-consuming and it can take many days to detect a water quality problem. In that time, the homeowner may be consuming microbes threatening their health.
The process is also inconvenient and lends itself to infrequent testing. The homeowner must first obtain a sterile bottle from a laboratory and transport the collected water sample in the sterile bottle from their home to the laboratory which may be far away. As well, the sample must be delivered to the laboratory in a cool condition (around 4xc2x0 C.) in a timely manner to keep the microbes in a viable state for the test to be meaningful and provide a valid test result. As a result of the time, effort and cost involved, homeowners are not testing their water as frequently as they should. It is also costly for the government to purchase and maintain the incubator and to provide testing services to the general public.
In addition, there are problems with the lab environment. Multiple handling of the sample can increase potential errors. Further delays occur when laboratories perform batch testing rather than running individual samples immediately when they are received. Clerical errors and time delay can jeopardize the health of those people whose wells are being tested.
Accordingly, there is a need for a portable water sample testing apparatus that is inexpensive, convenient and accurate. Such an apparatus should be designed to be small and easy to operate by non-technical personnel.
In one aspect, the invention provides a portable incubator for heating fluids comprising:
a) a housing;
b) at least one heating element positioned within the housing;
c) a specimen container positioned within the housing having at least one recess for receiving the at least one heating element.
In another aspect the invention provides a portable incubator comprising:
a) a housing;
b) a specimen container placed within said housing;
c) a heating element located proximal to said specimen container;
d) a heating controller for controlling the heating element, the heating controller maintaining the temperature of the air within the incubator within a preset range.
In another aspect the invention provides a specimen bottle for water testing comprising:
(a) a bottle section, the bottle section having at least one recess for receiving a heating element and at least one recess for receiving a temperature sensor;
(b) a removable cap for sealing the specimen bottle; and
(c) a reagent for microbial testing.